Beckett, Ramirez lead Red Sox to first-game pounding of Indians

Oct 13, 2007 - 4:08 AM
BOSTON (Ticker) -- Josh Beckett held up his end of the bargain
in an anticipated Cy Young matchup. Manny Ramirez was a big
reason why C.C. Sabathia could not do the same.

Ramirez continued his lifetime assault against Sabathia and
Beckett pitched six strong innings as the Boston Red Sox posted
a decisive 10-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians in the opener
of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park on
Friday.

Ramirez and David Ortiz reached base all five times they stepped
to the plate for the Red Sox, who host Game Two on Saturday
night. The duo has reached in 29-of-36 combined plate
appearances in the postseason.

The Red Sox faithful were expecting to witness a pitchers' duel
between Beckett - the lone 20-game winner in the major leagues -
and 19-game winner Sabathia. But the so-called duel was over
by the third inning, in large part because Sabathia could not
find a way to get out former Indian Ramirez.

Entering the contest 12-for-21 all-time against the Indians'
ace, Ramirez drilled an RBI single in the first inning to tie
the contest at 1-1. During a four-run third, he battled back
from an 0-2 count to draw a bases-loaded walk that provided a
2-1 lead.

The superstar also singled and scored in the fifth against
Sabathia.

Later in the fifth, Bobby Kielty - who was inserted into the
starting lineup over the lefthanded-hitting J.D. Drew because of
his career success against Sabathia - lined a two-run single to
right-center for a 7-1 lead, forcing Cleveland manager Eric
Wedge to make a move to the bullpen.

Kielty entered 9-for-29 with two homers against Sabathia (0-1),
who was charged with eight runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings
- the most runs he had allowed since yielding nine in 2 1/3
frames on June 21, 2006 against the Chicago White Sox.

The hefty lefthander, who walked just 37 batters in 241 innings
this season, walked five in his second straight sub-par
performance. Against the New York Yankees in Game One of the AL
Division Series, the 27-year-old walked six batters and
surrendered three runs in five innings.

Entering with three shutouts in six career postseason starts,
including a four-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim in Game One of their ALDS, Beckett (1-0) was charged
with two runs and four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts
while throwing 80 pitches.

After giving up a first-inning homer to Travis Hafner, Beckett
retired 12 of the next 14 batters before Casey Blake led off the
sixth with a double and scored on a one-out single by Asdrubal
Cabrera.

Ramirez and the Red Sox broke open a 1-1 game in the third.
Julio Lugo led off with a ground-rule double to right field.
After a sacrifice and a four-pitch walk to Kevin Youkilis,
Sabathia hit David Ortiz with a pitch to load the bases.

Ramirez then fell behind 0-2 before laying off four straight
off-speed pitches to plate Lugo for a 2-1 lead. Mike Lowell
followed with a ground-rule double that right fielder Franklin
Gutierrez pulled up on before allowing it to bounce in front of
him and into the right field seats.

After an intentional walk to Kielty, Jason Varitek brought home
Boston's fifth run of the game on a groundout to third base.

In the fifth, Ramirez grounded a single up the middle between a
pair of walks before Kielty ended Sabathia's night with his
two-run base hit. Varitek greeted reliever Jensen Lewis with an
RBI double to push the lead to 8-1.

Ramirez came back from another 0-2 count in the sixth to draw a
bases-loaded walk from Aaron Fultz and Lowell followed with a
sacrifice fly for a 10-2 cushion.